[MikeD]

Yep. I went for it. Road bike. Trying to work a fitness routine into a commute...only a mile to work, but halfway there is access to a really big multi-use trail network. Wish me luck. I always got pitying looks during my only previous foray into riding a roadie. (T-shirt and visored helmet and mtb pedals, going much more slowly than others...)

It's one of these; got a 2013 leftover for a grand and it seems like a good deal. Should be here in a week or two.

I do need to get pedals. I think I'm just going to search out a set of the lightest Time ATACs I can. I know they're not the newest and best, but I've had a set going for 15 years with zero attention. If I turn into some kind of insane lycra-clad demon, perhaps I'll look at a set of roadie specific shoes then, but for now, I'll match my MTB.

(On that note, anyone have an old set of ATAC carbons laying around?? )

 

[Westy]

Ya got to be careful on those multiuse trails. If you think people in cars are idiots wait until you have to be in close quarters with people on bikes. Not to mention groups of pedestrians and dog walkers.

I actually had some fat roadie plow into me on Saturday. Cruising down "multi-use trail", group of white girls walking 7 wide and taking up the whole trail with no idea people could be coming the other way. Rider in front of me stopped, as did I. Some dude who I recently passed wasn't paying attention and ran into me. Not sure how fast he was going but his momentum pushed be about 15yards down the road with brakes locked into the rider in front of me. We all managed to stay vertical. I wasn't really mad at the dude on the bike but the stupid fucking pedestrians who ignored all signage and lane markings.

Not sure exactly where you are these days but there are some wonderful rural roads to ride in VA, it all depends on how far you have to go to get to them. I would recommend at least heading to Front Royal and doing sections of Skyline Drive.

 

[MikeD]

Yeah, I run on them all the time now and I see the stupidity in effect. But I've been riding on third world streets for nine years, so I'll deal... It's frankly less annoying over there, though.

 

[CBJ]

Nice I have been doing the same for some years now. Helps me stay in shape for mtb.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Maybe I'll try again this year... My roadie pedals are bright red 646s...

 

[canadmos]

Maybe I'll try again this year... My roadie pedals are bright red 646s...

These are mine......and 5.10 shoes.

 

[I Are Baboon]

I always got pitying looks during my only previous foray into riding a roadie. (T-shirt and visored helmet and mtb pedals,

Heh, I use MTB shoes and pedals on my super douched up tri bike. I've had people telling me about better setups for foot to pedal power transfer and efficiency and blah blah blah douchespeak and then I tell them to talk me when they beat me in a race.

 

[stoney]

Wait. Are you back in the US?

 

[MikeD]

Yeah, outside DC for a few years. I will be deployed like half the time tho.

Except maybe the new administration might actually end up reducing that. And/or an undesired internal promotion could mess it up.

 

[Wingnut]

Good stuff. As much fun as trails are, i love me my roadie. It's just way too much fun to go fast so easily.

I too run egg beaters on mine, Candy Ti.

I seem to find it fun to punish myself with unnaturally difficult road climbs...

 

[boostindoubles]

Flat pedals and 45mm wide tires set up tubeless is as close as I'll get to a road bike. I threw on some Woodchippers and they seem to be nice and balanced for what I'm after. Sometimes I even smile when I ride it!

 

[JohnE]

Can leg shaving be far behind?

Neighbor across the street is a road/tri geek coach. Its truly brutal to talk bikes with him, as he defaults to power meter talk...come on man...pedal hard til you blow up. repeat as neccesary.

 

[eric strt6]

I might have some ATACs buried in the garage. I will check for them after work. Nice roadie. I did 50 miles on mine on Saturday.

 

[jimmydean]

Sweet ride at a less than dentist price.

 

[MikeD]

Thanks, guys.

Eric, lemme know if you dig up those pedals. Appreciate it!

 

[Pesqueeb]

Bike is bike. Good for you.

 

[Westy]

My current roadie kit consists of street clothes and Saint platforms. Mist rides end up with beer and food being consumed along the way. Takes an iron ass to put in 30+ miles in jeans.

 

[eric strt6]

Found one out of 3 ATACs and a pair of speedplay Frogs. I think I know where the other pedals might be { box out in the storage shed} I will check there in the daylight.

 

[DaveW]

MAMIL mode........ ENGAGE!!!!!!!

 

[Serial Midget]

I do not care what any of you say. I have the MOST mtb roadie known to man... other roadies never comment on the kit. In fact no other roadie has ever made comment or been douchie to me. I wonder what I am doing wrong? Maybe plus tires will differentiate me?

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I do not care what any of you say. I have the MOST mtb roadie known to man... other roadies never comment on the kit. In fact no other roadie has ever made comment or been douchie to me. I wonder what I am doing wrong? Maybe plus tires will differentiate me?

jdcamb, is that you?

 

[Serial Midget]

If I have been hacked, it was an honor. Signed Waffles.

 

[MikeD]

Found one out of 3 ATACs and a pair of speedplay Frogs. I think I know where the other pedals might be { box out in the storage shed} I will check there in the daylight.

Speedplay frogs! Wow.


Thanks for checking, man. Much appreciated if you find the Times.

 

[eric strt6]

Found a set of old spd's

 

[MikeD]

Hah! So you only found one Time pedal, or one pair of them?

 

[eric strt6]

So far just one pedal

 

[eric strt6]

finding everything except for what I'm looking for in pedals plus the missing quill stem from a Cannondale CAAD3 frame, 4 seat posts, 5 saddles,, a set of tri bars, 2 160mm disk rotors. I know I have those pedals ATAC pedals, a in box set of shimano triple chainring 105 road shifter/brake combo, tri saddle in one of the multitude of boxes in my garage..arrg

 

[Wingnut]

Side note, I have the Crank Bros Quattro... their short lived road pedal.....

 

[MikeD]

Eric, man, thanks a ton...I don't wanna drive you crazy looking! Let me know if you are breaking off the search. Really appreciate you taking a look.

 

[slyfink]

My current roadie kit consists of street clothes and Saint platforms. Mist rides end up with beer and food being consumed along the way. Takes an iron ass to put in 30+ miles in jeans.

you wouldn't happen to have a "vintage" 80s Italian frame, only one speed, and sport flannel and a handlebar mustache would you?!?!

 

[Westy]

you wouldn't happen to have a "vintage" 80s Italian frame, only one speed, and sport flannel and a handlebar mustache would you?!?!

2010 vintage taiwanese crabon fibre.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

When I dragged my road bike out a couple of days ago, one thought which drifted across my mind was to put flats on it just to make it easier to hop on on a whim.

After a Champlain Valley loop, I was reminded of my general dissatisfaction with fit, so took it into LBS yesterday, where it still is, with a new seat post on order along with some other bits to raise the bars.

 

[MikeD]

Awesome!

I think I got *really* lucky on fit with this. I'm not an expert on road bike sizing, but my old Cannondale CAADwhatever was a 56cm, and seemed just a bit too short, even with the hugely long gooseneck threaded stem. Only rode it a handful of times and passed it on.

This one is a 57 and seems to fit really well out of the box. Perhaps it could use a slightly longer stem, but that's gonna take a while to figure out.


Bike showed up last night, and came mostly built out of the box. Did major assembly in a few minutes and fine-tuning this morning before a first test ride, which ended up being about 15 miles or so rather than the 2 I had been anticipating. SRAM road shifters are weird, but I'm getting the hang of them. Drivetrain needs some adjustment...all I did was tension the cables out of the box, but I think they need a whole ground-up resetting. Not gonna do that till I can get one of those KMC reusable power links for the 10-spd setup, since I hate setting derailleur limits with the chain on.

Brakes were much easier to adjust than I remember rim brakes being. Rear wheel has a spot that really needs to be trued, though.

I need to get roadie-minded; pacing, hand positions, etc. are all pretty new to me.

New Roadie

• MikeD
• Apr 1, 2017

 

[johnbryanpeters]

...I need to get roadie-minded; pacing, hand positions, etc. are all pretty new to me...[/GALLERY]

Just don't get so roadie minded that you come to believe that you can't ride over lumps and bumps.

 

[MikeD]

I'm thinking that reducing the temptation to bunnyhop is about as far as I am willing to go there.

 

[Westy]

I'm thinking that reducing the temptation to bunnyhop is about as far as I am willing to go there.

Road bikes can be pretty damn fun if you don't do anything dumb enough to taco a wheel. I used to do a lap of some local swooth XC trails during my evening rides. The lack of traction was hilarious. The innate lightness and rigidity of a road bike make it super easy to bunnyhop. Put some thick commuter tubes in and go have fun.

 

[Toshi]

I used to bunnyhop my old Klein Quantum Race all the time. Up curbs works out just fine--just don't case the curb! The wheels held up fine over the years without even a true despite many 5-6" shocks from dropping to the street from the curb.

 

[Jm_]

If there were no cars, I'd own a road bike.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I used to bunnyhop my old Klein Quantum Race all the time. Up curbs works out just fine--just don't case the curb! The wheels held up fine over the years without even a true despite many 5-6" shocks from dropping to the street from the curb.

When I used to commute in the Boston/Cambridge area, curb hopping was a required skill.

I also have quite a few miles of singletrack on road bike under my belt, it's how I happened to get into the game of riding on dirt. I rolled tires off rims a number of times when cornering.

 

[boostindoubles]

Riding road bikes is actually really fun...